The present invention generally relates to a copying apparatus and more particularly, to a composite copying apparatus which subjects images of two original documents to trimming and masking for copying thereof in combination on a single paper sheet or the like.
In summary, the composite copying apparatus according to the present invention is intended to facilitate the composite copying operation for copying two images on a single paper sheet in combination with trimming and masking, and is generally provided with a two-surface continuous copying means which bisects the image range in an original document scanning direction for effecting an independent copying process continuously two times with respect to the respective ranges, a circulation transport means for leading paper sheets completed for the copying process into the copying process section again through an intermediate storage portion, an area memory means for memorizing the set area within the image range, a continuous transport means for making said circulation transport means effective in the two copying processes of said two-surface continuous copying means, and a continuous composite copying means which makes effective, the respective trimming mode and masking mode independently with respect to the area stored in said area memory means in each of the two copying processes of said two-surface continuous copying means, and thus, the necessity for repeatedly effecting setting of original documents, setting of paper sheets and inputting of data/ and the like during the composite copying operation is eliminated.
In the conventional copying apparatuses provided with many functions, there are some copying apparatuses capable of effecting trimming and masking. Such a copying apparatus is so arranged that, with respect to an area set through operation of keys or the like provided at a control section, only an image at the inner side thereof is copied, with the image at the outer side being erased in the trimming, while, during the masking, only the outer side of the set area is to be copied. By the copying apparatus constructed as described above, it is possible to effect the composite copying operation in which images of two original documents are combined so as to be formed on a single paper sheet.
In the case where the composite copying is to be effected by the conventional copying apparatus as described above, the image area is set through selection of either one of the trimming mode or masking mode, and thus, a first copying process is effected. Thereafter, the original document is exchanged for selecting the remaining one of the trimming mode and masking mode so as to set the image area again, and the paper sheet formed with the image by the first copying process is taken out from a paper discharge portion to be set at a paper feeding section, thereby to effect a second copying process. As described above, in the known composite copying apparatus, setting of the trimming or masking mode and setting of the image area are required at the respective copying processes, with further necessity for replacement of paper sheets, thus resulting in complication of the composite copying operation.